


Playing With Fire

by ohhhkenneth



Category: GOT7
Genre: BoyxBoy, Crush, Cute, Fluff, GOT7 - Freeform, M/M, Valentine's Day, just trust me, trapped together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-14
Updated: 2017-09-08
Packaged: 2018-09-17 10:56:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9320513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohhhkenneth/pseuds/ohhhkenneth
Summary: This Valentine's Day was supposed to be the same old, same old for Mark.He was supposed to finish his shift working at the supermarket, purchase his favorite junkfood, then head home for a night alone watching Netflix and playing League of Legends.He wasn't supposed to run into Jackson, the boy he's had a crush on forever, and they weren't supposed to get locked in the store afterhours.





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> Markson - One or two shot (haven't decided) - Fluff  
> This is my Valentine's Day gift to y'all ~
> 
> This is a cross posted fic from AFF, same title name and author name.
> 
> Few things I ask from you as a reader:  
> \- Comment if you have anything constructive criticisms or have any favorite moments.  
> \- Give kudos if you sincerely enjoyed the story :)  
> \- Read my other stuff if you're interested.

“Do you need any help bringing all this stuff to your car, Mrs. Duncan?”

Mark was placing the final item of an older woman’s groceries into her bags. She was a regular, Mark got along well with her.

“No, no. Don’t worry about that now. You just make sure they don’t keep you here all night, got it?” Her voice was low and hoarse, but her smile was warm and beaming.

Mark made a goofy smile back, “Yeah. Deal.”

“Cute young man like you needs all the free time he can get on Valentine’s Day. Who’s the lucky lady?” She asked, standing still to wait for Mark’s response, her face full of hope.

Mark was used to people teasing him about girls, sometimes he was caught off guard, but he didn’t mind it, he was a private person.

“No lucky ladies, just my mom.” He answered smoothly, knowing that answer would suffice.

“Good man.” She nodded in approval. “Happy Valentine’s Day anyway, Mark.” And with that she was hobbling out of the automatic doors with her bags.

Mark turned his cashier’s light off and blocked off his lane, signaling that Mrs. Duncan was the last customer he would be helping. He immediately began emptying the cash and doing mental math of what was there, everything was incredibly routine. Mark could cash-out in his sleep by now.

Three years, that’s how long he had been working at Mio-Market, the large supermarket chain in his small Canadian city. He was saving up money so that he could go to culinary school, and he was almost there. Just a few more months.

“Make sure you double check the inventory’s all there in the back before you head out, Mark?” his manager shouted as he speed-walked by, busy with his own closing duties.

“Yup!” Mark answered robotically, still counting money in his head.

_Eighty, Ninety, One hundred. All done._ He whispered to himself about fifteen minutes later, slamming the register closed.

Although it was really large, Mark knew the entire store like the back of his hand: the poultry section, the dairy section, produce, and the bakery. It was his second home.

Mark’s hair was a wavy mess of golden blonde locks that suited him perfectly. He was usually found wearing beanies, his favorite, so that his hair just peaked out in the front and the sides.

Mark wasn’t particularly into working out, but he was a healthy and toned size for his age, average height, with impeccable dress sense and a killer smile of bright white straight teeth.

He wouldn’t admit it himself, because he’s bashful, but it was a sort of an inside joke with his co-workers and him that Mark was a little heartbreaker. Many people of all ages would come into the store and at one time or another show interest in Mark. Whether it was asking for his number, touching his hand on “accident” or even circling the aisles over and over to stare, Mark got it all.

“Gord, I’m heading out! I just need the keys!” he shouted while he walked slowly down aisle number three, cursing under his breath when he realized that his cellphone had just died and he forgot his charger at home.

The store was dead silent, the large lights above him flickering pathetically.

Mark scrunched his mouth, chewing the inside of his cheek curiously, “Gord?!” he tried again, this time a bit louder.

When he got no response a second time he decided to try the incredibly small “office” in the back of the store where all of the shipments came in. That’s usually where Gordon was.

Mark pushed through the double doors and found an empty room with no note, nothing to signal where Gord was. Upon further inspection, he noticed that the brand new keys to lock the entire store up were missing.

Gord, in his twisted and paranoid sense of duty, decided it was a good idea to switch security systems and go against the status quo of what every other grocery store was doing. He felt that by installing this new system of locks that it would help with theft and loss prevention, but all it did was give the staff a headache.

They now had to keep a separate set of keys in order to lock the door from both the inside and the outside – it was all really strange to Mark, but he went with it because once Gord has his heart set on something, he just doesn’t quit.

But now Mark was beginning to regret going along with it.

“Gord… this isn’t funny!” He said hesitantly, heading to the security room to check on the video cameras, wondering if maybe Gord was still here somewhere.

He leaned in and peered closely at the small black and white monitors, all twenty of them, searching closely for any signs of movement. After a moment, he spotted what looked like a figure of a man turn the corner, just out of sight in the back of the store, near the deli.

_Ugh, there you are._ Mark thought to himself, eagerly shutting off all of the interior lights to the store as he head out of the back room to meet Gord.

When he reached the Deli and turned the corner, what he met was not exactly what he expected… at all.

“Oh my god, holy crap!” Mark yelped, almost colliding with a boy about his size that was wearing headphones, clearly unaware of where he was walking. Mark fell to the floor after dodging him, landing on his butt.

The boy fell backward into the aisle, knocking over a container of spices in the process, just as surprised as Mark.

Mark was annoyed, but above all he was confused. As he picked himself up off the floor and dusted away the dirt from his pants, he stood straight up to see who exactly he had run into.

“Oh shit. I’m so sorry! That was my fault.” An incredibly handsome young man said, his voice deep and soothing as he ripped his headphones out of his ears. “I think there’s something wrong with y’all’s lights?” he pointed to the lights above them that were now off with a smirk.

Mark deadpanned. It wasn’t Gord, no. It wasn’t even an employee of the store at all.

It was _him._

“Uhhh-“ Is all that Mark could mumble, his brain scattering as soon as his eyes met Jackson’s.

“Wait a second, are you guys closing?” The boy asked before Mark could answer, his eyebrows furrowing as he swiftly pulled his cellphone from his back pocket. “Ah shit, my phone’s dead. But it can’t be 9PM already, can it?”

Mark just raised his head sluggishly and let it fall, nodding once slowly, his eyes growing large.

“Are you alright man? I swear I’m not a thief. I just didn’t notice you guys were closing.” He said with a small laugh, pointing at the bag of chips in his other hand. “I wanted chips…” He was pouting slightly now.

It wasn’t that Mark was confused about _who_ the boy was, because he knew who Jackson was; it was actually quite embarrassing – he knew a lot more than he should about Jackson.

He knew Jackson’s last name, Jackson’s classes, which sports Jackson liked, even the name of his mom. And, without needing to look at the bag of chips in his hand, Mark knew that Jackson was probably holding a blue bag of cool ranch Doritos – those were his favorite.

“I was just closing the store up, actually. I’m really sorry.” Mark was finally able to form words now, trying his hardest to get over the initial shock of the most gorgeous boy in his entire town, the secret object of his desire for two years, the boy that – if Mark was one of _those_ people, would be scrawled all over Mark’s diary like a twelve year old girl – Jackson was that guy.

Jackson’s cheeks were round and his eyes were sharp, he had platinum blonde hair, almost white, and about the same length as Mark’s, except not as wavy. Jackson’s lips were soft and a pretty shade of pink, and he was wearing a dark pink sweater that he paired with a baby pink brimmed hat – everything was very pink, Mark noticed, assuming it was for Valentine’s Day.

“Ah crap. That sucks. So you won’t be able to ring this up for me?” Jackson asked, shaking the bag lightly with a hopeful grin.

“I’m sorry..” Mark began, remembering the situation with Gord being MIA and the fact that they were, essentially, locked in this massive grocery store unless Mark was somehow able to locate the keys and/or his manager. “I actually… um… can you just wait here for a minute?”

Mark didn’t wait for Jackson to respond, he made for the back room again with a determined pace. Once he blasted through the swinging doors, he immediately began rummaging through the office, flipping books and nearly pulling the desk apart, going through the cupboards and drawers, eagerly searching for the keys.

It didn’t help that the office didn’t have a working phone – another one of Gord’s great plans – only the managers were to have access to the store’s mobile phone. That way he could answer the phone wherever he was in the store.

_Really Gord, you had to take the phone too?_ Mark grumbled to himself, slamming his fist on the wooden desk. He took a deep breath, then sat down on the leather chair in front of the security monitors.

Jackson was still there, in the same spot, waiting for him.

Mark was suddenly not angry anymore, or concerned with really anything. He just watched Jackson, the boy was swaying back and forth, probably humming something, Mark wasn’t sure because there was no audio, but he was bobbing his head and lipping words. He was such a dork, but Mark couldn’t help but smile.

_Alright, what are you going to do Mark…_ he whispered to himself, watching on the screen as Jackson ripped the bag of Doritos open and ate a few, checking around to see if anyone was watching.

Mark figured there wasn’t much he could do in the office besides watch Jackson creepily, and though that was tempting, wouldn’t help their situation in the slightest. With a resigned attitude, Mark pushed his way back through the doors to see Jackson again.

“Alright, let’s go see if the doors are open.” Mark said upon reaching Jackson, who looked like a sad puppy that was just caught chewing up the couch. He pouted and rolled the bag of chips up, stuffing them into his pocket.

“I’ll pay for these… I swear.” He mumbled, sucking the tip of his middle finger clean.

Mark giggled, but quickly turned his expression serious. “Follow me.” He told Jackson, leading the two down the aisle towards the entrance of the large store.

Mark didn’t even need to go all the way to the doors to realize that they weren’t going to open for him. He closed his eyes clenched his jaw tightly in frustration, not wanting Jackson to notice his anger.

Jackson walked past Mark and stood in front of the automatic doors, they didn’t budge. Jackson waved a hand inconspicuously in front of the sensor, nothing happened. He raised his other hand and then began swaying them back and forth in front of the door, like a strange contemporary dance. The door didn’t respond at all.

Mark used a hand to cover his unavoidable smirk, there wasn’t anything Jackson could do to open the door, and he knew that, but he couldn’t find the heart to explain it to Jackson who was now hopping like a bunny while waving his hands frantically, trying to get the door to magically open.

“It’s-“ Mark chirped out, his voice breaking from laughing a little. “It’s not going to open…”

Jackson quit jumping around, turning around to face Mark. “What do you mean?” he asked.

“It’s locked from the inside and the outside. It’s this new system my manager decided to install. It’s supposed to help with theft and safety and stuff like that.”

Jackson squinted in disbelief, “By what? Locking you guys in the store like YOU’RE criminals?” he scoffed. “This can’t be a real thing.”

Mark pursed his lips, unsure of how to best explain the fact that they were, in fact locked in the store with no way out but to smash the windows.

“So you don’t have the keys or the gizmo to get us outta here? Why not just call your boss?” He suggested, taking a few steps closer to Mark.

Mark reached for his phone, pulling it out to show Jackson the flashing dead battery screen that was displayed when he tried to turn the device on.

“Of course. Of course.” Jackson shook his head playfully, still with a silly happy look on his face.

“You do… realize… we’re locked in here until someone comes back to open the door?” Mark said, confused by Jackson’s carelessness.

Jackson unravelled the chips from his sweater pocket and shoved another small chip into his mouth, crunching away happily. “Yeah, it sucks.” He began walking slowly to the other end of the store.

Mark was really confused now, deciding to follow Jackson out of curiosity.

“So when is the morning shift supposed to arrive?” Jackson asked, still eating as he walked, Mark trailing behind him.

“Owen is scheduled for six, but he’ll be here fifteen minutes early like usual. So maybe 5:45. Why do you ask? And why aren’t you freaking out right now like I’m about to?” Mark wondered.

“Look I’m not exactly thrilled about having to spend another second in this place either, but my mom always taught me to make the most out of any situation. And right now… well, this is our ‘sitch.” He turned back to Mark with a snicker. “I mean, it is Valentine’s Day and all.”

Mark’s stomach turned, he had forgotten about that silly holiday. Jackson seemed to notice.

“What, not a fan of V-day?” he bugged, grabbing a heart shaped stuffy from the Valentine’s Day display near the front of the store and waving it around in front of Mark.

Mark tilted his head and glared at Jackson coldly. “Not exactly. I mean, you know that stuffed heart in your hand is $15.00 right?” he pointed at what Jackson was holding. “Fifteen whole dollars just for that. And the chocolates next to it, they’re even more. And for what, just so you can show your love for someone by spending a bunch of money one day a year that everything is overpriced?”

Jackson giggled, knowing he hit a nerve with Mark. “I think it’s sweet.” He simply said, pretending to rest his head on the heart like a pillow and sleep peacefully.

“It’s just a socially constructed cash grab that preys on couples and forces those of us who are single to feel even more horrible about not having anyone.” Mark retorted, taking the stuffed heart and placing it back on the shelf.

“Oh c’mon, you must have _some_ Valentine’s Day plans tonight. No special someone?” He asked, now following behind Mark.

Mark put his head down, reminded of Mrs. Duncan’s same question a while earlier. He felt like giving the exact same answer he did before, but stopped himself.

Jackson was the epitome of what the “whole package was.” He was smart, that much Mark knew, going to the same school as him. He was athletic, Mark knew about the teams he was on. He was good looking – Mark wouldn’t be surprised to hear that Jackson was scouted to model internationally, or appear on magazine covers – his face was perfect. The only thing better than Jackson’s beautiful face was perhaps his beautiful body.

Mark didn’t even need to touch Jackson’s body to know how firm and tight it was. Even through the pink sweater he was wearing, Mark was able to see how strong and brick like Jackson’s shoulders were, his biceps flexing unintentionally every time he moved his arm.

“I’m not seeing anyone right now.” Mark muttered back a bit shyly. He was glad Jackson couldn’t see his face.

Jackson stopped answering, and after a few moments Mark had to turn around to see if he was even still walking behind him.

When he turned around, Mark saw Jackson standing there in the middle of the asile, a dumb grin on his face.

“What?” Mark asked, having to walk back to close the large distance that was now between them.

“How long have you worked here, couple years?” Jackson asked.

“Eh, little longer. Why?” Mark shot back, still walking back.

“This can’t be it for you, Mark. What else do you have planned? We finished school a while ago.” Jackson pressed.

Mark stopped in his tracks, there was still about two meters of space between the two boys.

“How did you know my name?” Mark asked, he knew Jackson’s name… but that’s… well, that’s because he was secretly in love with Jackson. There’s absolutely no excuse for Jackson knowing Mark’s name without him saying it.

“Your name tag.” Jackson blinked, pointing at Mark’s chest.

Mark wanted to die.

“Oh. Right.” He answered embarrassed, taking a few steps to make up the last little space.

“Plus, we went to the same high school. How could I not know you in a class of 86 kids.” Jackson explained.

“That’s true, I guess I just didn’t expect you to know me. We didn’t have any classes together I don’t think.” Mark spoke quieter as he checked the time on the clock in the distance: 9:30PM.

Mark wondered how long they’d be trapped in the store, if Gord would realize his mistake and come back and let them out, or if he’d have to spend all night alone with Jackson.

As much as he wanted to go home, relax, play some League of Legends, be alone. This is the first time Mark had ever actually spoken to Jackson, ever, in the four years he’s known about the other boy.

As much as he wanted to be home, all night with Jackson wasn’t looking _all_ that bad either.


	2. Two

“Will you call the cops if I eat these?” Jackson teased, grabbing a bag of Doritos off the shelf.

The boys were now wandering around the store aimlessly, Mark following Jackson’s lead.

“Don’t you think if I had a phone to call the cops I would at least call someone to get us out of here?” Mark answered sarcastically.

“I’ll take that as a no.” Jackson happily shot back, tearing open the plastic bag with a quick pop. He immediately popped a few chips into his mouth and chomped away.

Mark sighed and tried to hold back a smile. Jackson was such a dork.

“You have to promise to pay for those though, deal?” He compromised. “Even though we’re trapped here, I can’t have you eating everything in the store Jacks.”

“Whoa, now we’re on nickname basis?” Jackson laughed back, sucking lightly on his orange chip-dusted thumb.

Mark almost choked. He had called Jackson “Jacks” before to his girlfriends, when he would obsess to them about how perfect he was. It was at the point where it wasn’t even a big deal, it was just what Mark called him, forgetting that in real life, Jackson and him weren’t exactly “friends.”

“Isn’t that what everybody calls you?” Mark asked with a shaky voice, walking quickly to the next aisle, scared that Jackson would think he was a creep.

Jackson followed closely, a small smile curved on his face as he ate.

“No. Only my mom calls me that.” Jackson finally said, making Mark feel even weirder.

“Fine. I won’t call you that.” Mark conceded, still avoiding eye contact with Jackson.

“Hey now, I didn’t say I hated it.” Jackson said quickly, shuffling over until he was standing next to Mark. They both stopped.

“Besides, it’s a cool nickname. Almost sounds like “jacked,” which is exactly what I am.” Jackson lifted his arm and flexed so hard his entire body started to shake and his face turned a shade of pink.

Mark couldn’t hold in his laughter any longer, his smile exploded with a hearty laugh, which he had to immediately cover with his hand to get it under control.

“What?!” Jackson shouted with a giggle, “I’ve been working out okay. Pure steel.” He said proudly about his arm, smirking at Mark as he said it.

Mark wouldn’t admit it, but Jackson was right. As dorky and goofy as he was, there was no denying that the boy oozed sex.

His muscles had grown so much over the summer. He had always been very active and in shape, but the last few months proved to be somewhat of a transformation for Jackson.

He went from looking _boy_  to now looking like a _man._  

Mark couldn’t keep his eyes off of Jackson’s arms, his round and tough shoulders, and his meaty thighs which looked like they would feel so soft, yet so hard.

“Yeah yeah, you’re a real Iron Man.” Mark scoffed and sat down in the middle of the aisle, leaning his back against the cereal boxes that were stacked on the shelves around them.

“I prefer Hulk, okay.” Jackson joined him, sitting next to the boy. “Who’s your favorite super hero?”

Mark hadn’t ever thought about it. He wasn’t exactly the comic book type. But there was something about Spiderman that he always enjoyed. The playful and acrobatic style really appealed to Mark.

“Spiderman.” Mark said with a confident grin.

“Ah yes, Peter Parker. Classic.” Jackson said, stuffing another chip into his mouth.

Mark felt tense sitting there with Jackson. It wasn’t that he was scared of Jackson or anything, more that he was nervous about saying or doing the wrong thing. He let the silence linger until it felt too awkward to handle.

“W-what do…” Mark stuttered when he finally spoke. Jackson’s face perked up, he stared at Mark with a questioning gaze.

Mark’s twister of a brain failed him over and over as he tried desperately to find something to say back. Every time he felt confident, Jackson would lick his lip or shift his head, his gaze intensifying on Mark’s, and every single time, Mark forgot what he was about to say.

“Are you okay?” Jackson asked finally, placing a hand against Mark’s shoulder. His grasp was firm but friendly, making Mark even more of a wreck.

“Yeah yeah, just wondering when we will get outta here.” Mark spit out the first non-weird thing he could think of.

All seemed okay until Jackson looked away, releasing his grip from Mark’s shoulder.

“Wanna get rid of me that quickly, eh?” He said with a fake smile, one that seemed a bit too somber.

Mark felt his nerves spike up again, realizing how he must’ve sounded to Jackson.

“No. It’s got nothing to do with you, believe me. I love hanging out with you, I mean, I am not happy we’re in this situation, but I am glad that it’s with you, and I don’t want you to think I don’t like spending time with you because-“ Mark’s mouth trailed away until he wasn’t even sure what point he was trying to make anymore.

“Okay okay, don’t hurt yourself.” Jackson said cheerfully. “You’re not a bad after-hours-locked-in-the-grocery-store-buddy either, you’re really cool.”

Mark felt what he knew were butterflies, swirling around in the pit of his stomach, listening to Jackson say that. He felt lame, because it was such a small gesture, but it was the first time Jackson had ever said anything like that to him.

“How about we play a game?” Jackson’s question interrupted Mark’s private thoughts.

“Sure. What game?” Mark said, unsure what he was agreeing to.

“21 Questions?” Jackson said with a devilish grin. “I wanna start.”

Before Mark could answer, Jackson was already shimmying his body so that he was sitting cross legged in front of Mark, who was also sitting the same way.

“Did you date anybody from our High School?” Jackson said, still crunching away at the chips.

Mark looked down shyly, “Wow, going for the kill already I see.”

“I’m curious. That’s all. I didn’t see you with anyone.” He pried.

Mark cleared his throat, then looked back up. “I dated a couple people, it was never anything serious though. We dated for a month and broke up. You know how high school is.”

“Anyone I know?” Jackson stared.

“Jessica J, on the cheerleading squad.” Mark said, “Also Tiffany H from band class.”

“Okay I don’t know the second one but I do know the first, she’s pretty.” Jackson said with a satisfied nod. “Did you guys do anything together?”

Mark’s eyebrows furrowed. “Isn’t that two questions? That’s not how this works.”

Jackson smiled cheekily, knowing he was caught trying to cheat. “Fine, fire away.”

Mark paused for a second while he thought of what to ask Jackson. He already knew the boy’s favorite color, his sports team, his circle of friends, his parents (to some degree), and his favorite movies, books, and music thanks to Facebook.

“Do you have any pets?” Mark asked dumbfounded, trying to remain innocent. He already knew Jackson had a small black Chihuahua named Roo that he adored, but he wanted to play it cool for now.

“I have one pet. A dog, named Roo. He’s a Chihuahua, and he’s the cutest thing on this planet.” Jackson answered swiftly, just as Mark expected.

“Did you go all the way with either of those girls?” Jackson asked just as quickly.

Mark sneered at Jackson’s happy face. “Why does it matter?”

Jackson giggled, “It doesn’t matter. But that’s the game, so answer.”

Mark sighed, “Yeah I did. With Jessica, not with Tiffany though. We only dated for a couple weeks before she broke up with me.”

“See that wasn’t hard.” Jackson said, happy with Mark’s answer.

“What about you, did you date anyone from our High School?” This was one thing that Mark was legitimately curious about. As much as he knew about Jackson, and as much as he’d seen Jackson around the school back then, he had never seen Jackson with any girls, or guys for that matter.

Sure, girls were always flocking to him and whispering as he walked by, but Jackson was never the type to pay them any mind.

Even Mark had dated a couple girls. Sure, he didn’t end up sticking with it as he discovered more and more about himself and his sexuality, but he was open to the experiences. It made Mark wonder if Jackson had even dated anyone, at all.

“Nope.” Jackson said back plainly.

“What do you mean ‘nope?’” Mark shot back.

“I haven’t dated anyone before.” He clarified.

“I see..” Mark couldn’t tell if he was being serious or not, but nothing that he knew about Jackson would suggest that he’s lying.

Mark already knew his next question, so he let Jackson go again.

“Favorite flavor of chips?” Jackson hummed, shaking the Dorito bag lightly.

“Salt and Vinegar.” Mark answered quickly. “Who’s your celebrity crush?”

Mark wasn’t looking to find out if Jackson liked Kim Kardashian or Paris Hilton, but if he would answer a female or a male. That was the real question Mark was intending to have answered. It was quite smart, he thought.

“ _Hmmmm”_ Jackson pursed his lips, deep in thought. “There’s a lot.”

“Top three then.” Mark said in anticipation.

Jackson was now looking directly into Mark’s eyes. His goofy look was gone, and his chip bag was folded at his side. Mark swallowed deeply at the new atmosphere as Jackson stared him down.

“It used to be Scarlet Johansson when I was younger.” Jackson said with a somewhat serious tone, looking away for a second. “But these days, I think that guy from One Direction is pretty hot, Zayn.”

Jackson’s eyes flashed back at Mark’s, almost as if he was waiting for Mark’s reaction.

Mark didn’t expect that, at all. This changed everything.

“Don’t laugh, alright. I don’t listen to One Direction at all, I just started getting into Zayn now that he’s solo. I like his style, alright.” Jackson began defending himself.

“I’m not laughing” Mark hesitated, “He’s a good looking guy…”

Mark was virtually stunned; he had anticipated everything up until this point. Every hour that went by he felt as though he was learning more about Jackson, and he loved every moment of it.

But this wasn’t something he could make up in his wildest dreams. He had spent nights alone in his room, lying in bed, day dreaming about Jackson sometimes. But there was always that sad truth that even if the stars aligned, Jackson was just another straight boy, and it could never happen between the two of them.

But now, sitting cross legged in front of Jackson, so close that their kneecaps are nearly brushing, Mark was beginning to realize that the sliver of a chance that he had pretty much accepted was never going to happen in this lifetime could now be a possibility.

That faint glimmer of a chance was more than Mark had ever expected, and it sent goosebumps up his forearms, stirring the pesky butterflies in his stomach again.

Mark knew he had cornered Jackson into a question that more or less asked him if he was straight or gay, but he didn’t expect it to be that easy without blatantly asking him that question.

“Who are yours?” Jackson quipped, resting his chin on his arm that propped his head up.

“My what?” Mark asked blankly, his mind still wandering.

“You know, your celebrity crush.” Jackson asked softly.

The entire mood had changed for Mark in the span of a few minutes. If everything up to this point was a soft and whimsical dream, then this moment on was a vivid and clear reality. Even Jackson’s body language was different, he seemed more vulnerable. Mark shivered slightly again before answering.

He wrestled with whether or not to tell Jackson that he had a crush on a boy or a girl, or to tell him that he had a crush on a celeb at all. He could very well just say “nobody,” which honestly would be the truth, because the object of his affection was sitting half a foot away, and was in no way a celebrity, except to maybe himself.

Mark had to think decisively, and calculated. This was a choice that would shape the mood from there on out. He knew that he needed to use the answer to send Jackson a message, but he wasn’t sure just yet if Jackson was ready to hear the whole truth.

“C’mon, no chickening out.” Jackson ushered, patting Mark’s leg impatiently.

“I do have a crush, a big one actually.” Mark’s voice was shaky, his lips nearly quivering.

“Oh oh! Can I guess?!” Jackson’s head perked up, “Which movies are they in, give me a hint or two.”

Mark took a breath, “They aren’t a celebrity.”

“Oh. Darn. Okay, well just tell me then, I probably don’t know her anyway.”

“It’s not-“ Mark spit out between his breaths. He wasn’t so sure about this decision anymore. “It’s not a girl either.” He wished he could rewind time.

“What do you mean?” Jackson’s curiosity was starting to sound more like confusion the more Mark spoke.

Mark closed his eyes, braced himself mentally; his fingers were white and cold with nerves.

When he opened his eyes again he met Jackson’s gaze once more. Jackson’s eyes were deep and brown, full of golden flakes that caught the dull light every once and a while, making him glow warmly. Mark knew he couldn’t keep it in anymore.

“It’s you, Jacks.” He whispered. “My crush… It’s you.”


	3. Three

≈

Mark waited a whole ten seconds before saying anything else.

The look on Jackson’s face said that he hadn’t yet processed just what Mark said.

Mark’s regret and hesitation finally took him over, “I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t’ve said anything. I’m just being stupid.” He muttered, standing up.

Jackson cleared his throat and stood up as well, “I gotta use the bathroom. Is there any staff washroom I can use?” he asked gently. Mark noticed that all of the goofiness that he usually exuded was now gone.

“Yeah. There’s one in the back, it’s just through the double doors. It’s a staff washroom. You can use that one.” Mark said, pointing toward the backroom. He felt his face get hot in embarrassment. He knew he probably ruined everything that could’ve been between them two.

Why did you have to open your big mouth, Mark? He ran this question in his mind over and over as Jackson retreated to the bathroom.

“He probably thinks you’re a creep. He probably hates you.” Mark began softly cursing to himself, wandering around the large empty store.

Mark had always wondered what his interactions with Jackson would be like once they actually met – he never expected them to cross paths after high school honestly – but now that it was actually happening, he wasn’t exactly happy with how things were turning out.

“It’s like a labyrinth in here!” Jackson shouted from down the aisle, jogging lightly to catch up with Mark again.

Mark felt himself stiffen up and his throat groan lightly. He almost couldn’t stand being around Jackson now, as much as he liked him, the idea of Jackson knowing he liked him without commenting on it was nauseating for Mark.

“Yeah, I get lost sometimes, too.” Mark smiled back through his discomfort.

“Are we still playing the game?” Jackson said nonchalantly, looking right into Mark’s eyes.

Part of Mark wanted to say no, absolutely not. Besides, now that Jackson knew he was not a virgin, dated some girls from the school, and had a big crush on him, there wasn’t much more damage that he could cause.

This actually made Mark nod in agreement, though. “Yeah we’re still playing. It’s my turn, I think.”

Mark figured he had nothing else to lose at this point. He might as well try to salvage whatever reputation he had left with Jackson.

“So… why did you come into the store today? Just for chips?” Mark asked. “You were in the section headed toward the Valentine’s Day displays.”

Jackson’s smirk came back, the same goofy full-of-himself smile that he wore so beautifully.

“What if I said I was buying someone a Valentine’s Day chocolate box?” he said back smugly.

Mark flinched on the inside, looking away to make sure it wasn’t obvious.

“I’d be happy for you.” He said simply. “But you didn’t answer my question yet. Were you getting a Valentine for someone?”

Jackson stopped and leaned against the shelf, “I’m not sure you’d believe me if I told you.”

Mark was a little confused, he felt a small pang of jealousy come over him at this imaginary Valentine of Jackson’s, but he decided to let it go. He didn’t want to increase the level of awkwardness that he was already knee-deep in.

The time on the clock above the door of the supermarket, near the lottery ticket dispenser indicated that there was still at least a few hours until the morning staff would be coming in.

Mark sighed at this and sat down on the floor, knowing he would have to endure the pain of Jackson knowing his attraction for him, but subtly ignoring it.

Just then Jackson plopped onto the floor just like before, right next to Mark.

“It’s my turn.” He stated with a grin, “Tell me… why do you have a crush on me?”

Mark almost choked on the air in his throat; Jackson was waiting patiently next to him, waiting for a response, one that Mark wasn’t sure if he was able to give. He didn’t anticipate this at all.

“W-what do you mean?” He stuttered, trying to play dumb in order to buy time or make Jackson give up on the question.

It didn’t work at all, Jackson was steadfast, “You said you had a crush on me. I just want to know why?”

It was a simple enough question, one that Mark couldn’t completely say he didn’t expect. He knew deep down that confessing to Jackson about his true feelings would definitely warrant some sort of questions of Jackson’s own to the entire situation.

“You really wanna know?” Mark took a small breath, managing to mellow himself out. He felt the intense gaze of Jackson meet his face, eagerly waiting.

Jackson just nodded without blinking.

“Fine. Where do I start…” Mark began, “I guess I could start by saying that it never happened overnight. It wasn’t one of those love-at-first-sight sort of things. I grew up next to you, but we were never friends. I wanted desperately to get to know you though.”

Jackson let his gaze wander now, freeing Mark from his stare. He was nodding intensely to himself, listening quietly.

“I loved how active you were in everything you did. You’re so confident, so fun. You make people want to smile. That’s something I feel like I never had. I was always told I’m too quiet, and that I come off as a loner. It doesn’t bother me anymore, but it’s something that I wanted to change so much about myself but never could. With you though, it seems so natural and it’s so… attractive?” Mark paused. “If I’m creeping you out just tell me to stop…”

Jackson quickly shook his head away at that comment, “No you’re not. Stop. I asked for you to explain. Continue.”

Mark swallowed hard, “Alright. Another reason I have a crush on you is a little more… superficial.”

“What do you mean by that?” Jackson asked.

“You’re hot, man. I don’t know what else to say.” Mark laughed at himself as he said this. There was clearly no way to make it sound any less corny than it sounded, so he just laughed at himself as he explained. “You’ve got a killer body, your smile is infectious, you wear the best clothes… God, you even smell amazing.”

Jackson joined in on the laughter; Mark could tell that he appreciated the honesty. It made it easier on Mark to power through it, knowing Jackson wasn’t judging him for his less than subtle confessions.

“I mean, what’s not to like?” Mark said lowly, almost as if it was a rhetorical question.

Jackson fell silent again, but before Mark could get any more worried about him being weirded out, Jackson placed his hand on Mark’s shoulder softly.

“Thanks” he whispered genuinely, “Thanks for… just everything I guess.”

“You mean for getting us locked in here?” Mark said sarcastically, trying to lighten things up. Jackson seemed really solemn.

“For being so cool with everything. I mean… I’ve never told anyone that I liked guys before.” He explained, “Maybe it’s because you’re so down to earth, or maybe it’s the fact that we’re both locked in here, I don’t know. But I just knew I could tell you.”

“Of course, I understand.” Mark said, “It wasn’t exactly that easy to tell you, either you know, considering everything I just told you…”

“-That’s another thing, Mark.” Jackson interrupted, his face getting a bit pink in the cheek area. He breathed out of his nose hard, his mouth forced into a smile. “God, now I’m getting shy.”

Mark was confused; this entire night was not making any sense to him at all.

“I could trip over my words all night, but I think it’s better if I just…” Jackson closed his eyes and leaned in, his hand reaching over and pulling at the back of Mark’s head lightly, leading him directly into Jackson’s face.

Mark held his breath, but didn’t pull away, allowing himself to be pulled into Jackson’s personal space, inches from his mouth.

When he was close enough to feel the hot air from Jackson’s parted mouth, he closed his eyes too and mirrored Jackson. It was only ten seconds, but it felt like an eternity.

Jackson’s lips pressed firmly into Mark’s, kissing him with a timid urgency, as if he’d waited forever to do it.

Mark had no time to react to this; all he knew was that he was perfectly okay with being held by Jackson’s strong hands, pulling him closer and closer as they kissed.

When Jackson finally let go, allowing Mark to return to his original position, neither of them spoke for a few moments. Mark felt the tingling on his mouth from Jackson’s saliva, it was the only thing that gave him solid proof he wasn’t day dreaming.

“I hope that clears a couple of things up…” Jackson smiled shyly.

“Not exactly…” Mark admitted, completely confused, if not more than before. If anything, this complicated everything. Nothing was making sense yet.

Jackson sighed with a light laugh, “Do you need me to do it again, will that help?”

Mark nodded greedily, playing stupid.

Jackson scooted over so he was closer to Mark, this time he cranked his neck and leaned in rather than pulling Mark over. His kiss was a lot slower, and much deeper. He pressed his whole body into Mark, tasting the boy’s lips carefully.

Mark closed his eyes and let himself be taken again, Jackson’s presence was overpowering, and Mark couldn’t get enough of it.

Kissing Jackson gave Mark a little more confidence; he decided to put it to the test and wrapped both arms around Jackson’s neck, tightening them around him to pull him closer in.

Jackson smiled through his teeth mid kiss; he knew that Mark fully understood everything now.

Mark felt his pulse quickening, his moaning getting a bit harsher, and his kissing become hungrier. He had to physically push himself away from Jackson before he let things get even more steamy.

“Cameras…” he said panting, pointing toward the perimeter of the roof. “Don’t wanna get fired.”

“Damn.” Jackson lulled deeply, “That’s a shame. I was starting to get into it.”

Before Mark could answer, his eyes jolted open as he made a discovery in his head. Without saying anything to Jackson, he rose to his feet quickly and dashed away through the aisle next to them. It was the home electronics aisle.

“Where are you going?” Jackson yelled after him. Mark was already out of sight.

A few minutes of silence went by as Jackson sat there alone, waiting for Mark to return. When Mark didn’t come back after five minutes, Jackson stood up and followed after him in the same direction.

At the other end of the store, Jackson could see Mark was in the corner, using one of the stores outlets to charge his phone.

There were plastic wrappers scattered around him, he must’ve taken a brand new charger from off the shelf and opened it, Jackson giggled, not thinking of that idea himself.

Mark was on the phone when Jackson approached him again.

“Alright… Sounds good…” Mark spoke slowly into the mic, turning around to face Jackson. “K. Goodnight Gord. Sorry to wake you..”

“So?” Jackson asked, stepping closer.

“I feel like an idiot.” Mark mumbled, placing his hands on the sides of his head as if he had a migraine.

“What’s wrong?” Jackson asked again.

“Just a sec. I’ll be right back.” Mark said, patting Jackson on the arm as he stepped around him.

Mark disappeared again, heading directly for the staff bathroom. Jackson smiled devilishly after seeing where Mark was headed.

He made his way to the door to wait for Mark’s return.

A minute later Mark exited the bathroom and headed straight for Jackson. He looked completely confused.

“Hey Jacks… did you happen to see a silver keychain in the bath-“

“-Oh these?” Jackson interjected, dangling a set of keys in front of Mark’s face playfully.

Mark’s mouth dropped open, no words escaped.

Jackson’s laugh echoed through the store, a goofy smile erupting on his face.

“You mean this whole time…” Mark spoke slowly.

“Not the whole time, just for a bit.” Jackson confessed. “I considered giving them to you, but then that would mean that you’d leave…”

Jackson wasn’t laughing anymore. His voice became serious.

“Things were going so well, you know?” He half smiled, “I just knew I didn’t want you to leave. It was stupid, I know.”

Mark let out the breath he was holding in, a small smile forming on his lips.

“I can’t say it was an entirely horrible plan.” Mark said, “I guess if I was going to be locked in here with anyone, I’m glad it was you.”

Jackson looked hopeful, the light returning to his eye-smile. “Yeah, same.”

“You know this means you owe me.” Mark said suddenly, a determined grin on his face. “You cost me a whole night of gaming and chocolate.”

“Who do you think these were for?” Jackson said, reaching behind him. He pulled a red velvet heart shaped box out of the shelf behind him that was tied with a red bow.

Mark blushed, “No way. You’re kidding.”

“You were right from the start; I didn’t come in here just for chips. I came in here to buy chocolates for the most beautiful young man in this shit hole of a town. I came to ask him to be my Valentine.” Jackson gave a cheesy smile and kneeled onto one knee. “I wasn’t planning on getting locked in here with him, but when I realized what was happening I knew it was fate. It was my chance to talk to you, get to know you.”

Mark couldn’t believe what he was hearing, and he couldn’t stop giggling at how cheesy Jackson was being. It was so, so cute though.

“So, what do you say, Mark Tuan?” Jackson asked, shaking the box of chocolates in his hand. “I know I ruined your amazing Valentine’s Day plans of hanging out alone, but how about I do you one better and make you pancakes, then we both play League together?”

“That… actually… sounds so amazing…” Mark said, reaching for Jackson to stand up.

Mark looked up at the time, it was nearly morning, they had spent the entire night together. He was filled with every emotion possible: anxiety, dread, anger, fear, excitement, lust, and unshakable happiness.

This was one Valentine’s Day he never in a million years thought would happen, but now that it had, he just wished it wouldn’t end.

Jackson pulled Mark closer and clasped their hands together as they left the store, making Mark blush now that he and Jackson were hand in hand leaving the store.

As they were heading out, Mark laughed at the small alarm that triggered from them walking out, “You know you still have to pay for those chips, and those chocolates.”

Jackson laughed and kissed the back of Mark’s hand, “Deal.”


End file.
